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Description
"Tell me. Do you bleed? You will."

Lets continue our live action DC marathon with their first theatrical crossover film where the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight face off until they discover a sinister plot from a common enemy; Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Note that this will be mainly be a review of the theatrical cut, but i'll also make some comparisons to the Ultimate Cut. And this might be another case where i give two ratings like i did with my "Superman II" review.

The story begins in a flashback, where Bruce Wayne falls into a cave while running from his parents' funeral, where he has a memorable encounter with a legion of bats.
Back in the present, 18 months after the events of "Man of Steel", Superman has become a controversial figure. Bruce is now a billionaire who has operated in Gotham City as the vigilante Batman for twenty years.
Having witnessed the chaos of the battle between Superman and General Zod in person, he sees Superman as an existential threat to humanity.
After learning of Batman's form of justice, Clark Kent seeks to expose him via Daily Planet articles.
Wayne learns that Russian weapon trafficker Anatoli Knyazev has been contacting LexCorp mogul Lex Luthor.
Meanwhile, Luthor attempts to persuade Senator June Finch to allow him to import kryptonite discovered after Zod's terraforming attempt, so that it can be used as a deterrent against possible future Kryptonian and metahuman threats. She declines, but Luthor makes alternative plans with Finch's subordinate, which grants him access to Zod's body and the Kryptonian scout ship.
Bruce attends a gala at LexCorp to steal encrypted data from the company's mainframe, but antiquities dealer Diana Prince takes it from him; she returns it after failing to access the information.
While decrypting the drive, Bruce dreams of a post-apocalyptic world where he leads rebels against an evil Superman. He is awakened by an unidentified man, appearing through a portal, who tells him that Lois Lane "is the key" and urges him to find "the others" before vanishing. The decrypted drive reveals Luthor's files on several metahumans across the globe. One is Diana Prince, who appears in a photo from World War I.
Wayne tells Alfred Pennyworth that he plans to take the kryptonite and weaponize it, if necessary, to fight Superman.
A widely-publicized Congressional hearing, led by Finch, is held to question Superman's actions against Zod. A bomb smuggled in by Luthor detonates, killing everyone present except Superman. Superman blames himself for not detecting it in time and self-imposes exile. Meanwhile, Batman builds a powered exoskeleton, a kryptonite grenade launcher, and a kryptonite-tipped spear in preparation for battling Superman.
Meanwhile, Luthor enters the Kryptonian ship and accesses it's massive database of technology. Luthor lures Superman out of exile by kidnapping Lois and Martha Kent, Clark's adoptive mother. He pushes Lois off the LexCorp building. Superman saves her and confronts Luthor, who reveals he manipulated him and Batman by fueling their distrust. Luthor demands he kill Batman in exchange for Martha's life. Can the two heroes be able to overcome their distrust for each other in time, or will they be pushed to the brink of death?

The story is a major mixed bag as while there is some very solid action, some decent and intriguing drama, there are some neat ideas that are decently executed, the dark tone is well handled, and it is neat to finally see some of the most iconic DC superheroes on screen together, the plot is very bloated as it crams in too many plot threads, and some of them don't go anywhere as they only serve as bait for future films. It also has several plot holes, a few scenes drag on too long, some moments that are pretty dumb, some scenes that end up becoming wasted potential, and the rivalry between Batman and Superman is almost glanced over. Granted, the Ultimate Cut does expand on some of these plot threads and it does make them more comprehensible like the characters' choices and the rivalry between the two main heroes being more fleshed out, but it doesn't change the fact that the story is still pretty overstuffed.
The action scenes of the movie are a major highlight of the movie as these scenes are pretty intense, gripping, and suspenseful such as the Superman/Zod battle from Bruce's point of view, Batman rescuing the caged women and beating up the traffickers, Superman rescuing Lois in the Middle East, Batman battling Lex's thugs in the Batmobile which leads to his first proper encounter with Superman, the Knightmare scene where Batman and his men fight Parademons and Superman's men, the titular battle between Batman and Superman, Batman rescuing Martha from Luthor's thugs, Superman diverting a missile into space, and the climax where Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman battle Doomsday. And best of all, this movie tones down the shaky cam from "Man of Steel". There's still a bit in the movie, but it's not going overboard with it.
The movie does have some solid drama with plot threads like Bruce's reasons for being untrustworthy of Superman, Superman trying his absolute best as a hero while some people view him as a menace due to what happened in "Man of Steel", and the evolving relationship between Clark and Lois. But there are some things in here that are pretty weak and kinda unneeded like Superman putting himself into exile for a brief time, the "Martha" thing, and the ending.
The production design is pretty solid as there's a lot to admire about them such as the sets and setpieces being very well built and having a great amount of detail, the actual filming locations featured are very well utilized, the lighting is pretty solid and effective, the new Batmobile and Batwing have some great designs, and the costumes, makeup, and clothing are very well crafted. Especially the suits and outfits for Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Though like in "Man of Steel", it does look a bit too desaturated.
The special effects are also pretty well crafted as while they can look a little fake, they do look decently solid such as Superman's various powers being put to use, all the different Bat-Gadgets, the flying scenes with Superman and the Bat-Wing, Wonder Woman's abilities, the design of Doomsday and his powers even if he does look like an oversized orc, the Parademons in the Knightmare scene, the kryptonite and the weapons made from it, the enhanced backgrounds for some locations, the fire and explosions, the destruction, the rain, the smoke, and so on.
The characters are a mixed bag as while there are some that are pretty decent, there are others who are pretty weak and even some that feel underutilized. The decent characters in the movie would consist of the returning characters from "Man of Steel" like Clark/Superman, Lois, Martha, and Perry who are still alright characters and are given further development, and some of the new characters aren't that bad either like a more aged, brazen, and stubborn Bruce/Batman who does have a decent arc in this film, the ever-supportive yet also concerned Alfred, and the strong and highly-skilled Diana/Wonder Woman.
But there are some in here that are pretty weak like Lex who's a pretty confusing and way too goofy and over-the-top villain in a movie that's supposed to be more dark and serious, and his comedic moments aren't even really that funny, Finch and Jenet(from the Ultimate Edition) are easily the most forgettable characters in the film, characters that are just here to set up the larger universe and don't really contribute to anything such as the cameo appearances of Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg, especially given the fact that there was some Aquaman merch based on this film like having an action figure and a poster of him, and all we got of him was just showing up for a couple seconds in fromt of a LexCorp camera. If anything, Flash did more that Aquaman did in this, and there wasn't any merch on him from this movie. Sorry about that little rant, but i felt like that had to be mentioned. And of course there are some characters that feel like wasted potential for future stories like Jimmy Olsen, Mercy Graves, and especially Doomsday.
The acting in this film is pretty solid as the actors do manage to give some decent performances like Ben Affleck as Bruce/Batman, Henry Cavill as Clark/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois, Diane Lane as Martha, Laurence Fishburne as Perry, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Gal Gadot as Diana/Wonder Woman, Holly Hunter as Finch, Ezra Miller in their brief cameo as the Flash, and even if he does act too goofy, Jesse Eisenberg did give a decent performance as Lex.
The music by Hans Zimmer as Tom Holkenborg is pretty solid and does sound very nicely done and well composed, and it does fit within the movie's dark, action-packed, dramatic, and gritty tone.

Overall, I am very aware that this movie is very divisive with people either loving it, hating it, or being somewhere in between about it. I'm more in the camp of the latter as while i think the Ultimate Edition is better than the theatrical cut as that version is more comprehensible, and there are some solid things about it, both cuts are pretty overstuffed, and was clearly done so in an attempt to catch up with Marvel.
I don't think it's an awful movie, but it could have been a lot better too.
And because WB was so reactionary to the reception of this film, this would end up causing the domino effect of the DCEU's eventual downfall.

Cast:
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman
Brandon Spink as Young Bruce Wayne
Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Superman
Amy Adams as Lois Lane
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
Diane Lane as Martha Kent
Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth
Holly Hunter as June Finch
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman
Jena Malone as Jenet Klyburn (Ultimate Edition only)
Scoot McNairy as Wallace Keefe
Callan Mulvey as Anatoli Knyazev
Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves
Robin Atkin Downes as Doomsday
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Thomas Wayne
Lauren Cohan as Martha Wayne
Patrick Wilson as the President of the United States
Michael Cassidy as Jimmy Olsen
Harry Lennix as Secretary Calvin Swanwick
Christina Wren as Major Carrie Farris
Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent
Rebecca Buller as Jenny Jurwich
Chad Krowchuk as Glen Woodburn
Carla Gugino as Kelor
Hugh Maguire as Jack O'Dwyer
Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash
Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman
Ray Fisher as Victor Stone / Cyborg
Joe Morton as Silas Stone
Patrick Leahy as Senator Purrington
Debbie Stabenow as the Governor of New Jersey
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Soledad O'Brien, Anderson Cooper, Jon Stewart (Ultimate Edition only), Nancy Grace, Charlie Rose, Dana Bash, Andrew Sullivan, and Vikram Gandhi appear as themselves
Sammi Rotibi as General Amajagh
Wunmi Mosaku as Kahina Ziri
Coburn Goss as Father Leone (Ultimate Edition only)
Joseph Cranford as Pete Ross (Ultimate Edition only)
Emily Peterson as Lana Lang (Ultimate Edition only)

Crew:
Directed by Zack Snyder
Written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer
Produced by Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder
Music by Hans Zimmer and Tom Holkenborg

Misc.
Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger
Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Production companies: Warner Bros. Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, DC Entertainment, Atlas Entertainment, Cruel and Unusual Films
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date: March 25, 2016
Runtimes: 2 hours, 32 minutes (theatrical cut), 3 hours, 3 minutes (Ultimate cut)

Description
"Tell me. Do you bleed? You will."

Lets continue our live action DC marathon with their first theatrical crossover film where the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight face off until they discover a sinister plot from a common enemy; Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Note that this will be mainly be a review of the theatrical cut, but i'll also make some comparisons to the Ultimate Cut. And this might be another case where i give two ratings like i did with my "Superman II" review.

The story begins in a flashback, where Bruce Wayne falls into a cave while running from his parents' funeral, where he has a memorable encounter with a legion of bats.
Back in the present, 18 months after the events of "Man of Steel", Superman has become a controversial figure. Bruce is now a billionaire who has operated in Gotham City as the vigilante Batman for twenty years.
Having witnessed the chaos of the battle between Superman and General Zod in person, he sees Superman as an existential threat to humanity.
After learning of Batman's form of justice, Clark Kent seeks to expose him via Daily Planet articles.
Wayne learns that Russian weapon trafficker Anatoli Knyazev has been contacting LexCorp mogul Lex Luthor.
Meanwhile, Luthor attempts to persuade Senator June Finch to allow him to import kryptonite discovered after Zod's terraforming attempt, so that it can be used as a deterrent against possible future Kryptonian and metahuman threats. She declines, but Luthor makes alternative plans with Finch's subordinate, which grants him access to Zod's body and the Kryptonian scout ship.
Bruce attends a gala at LexCorp to steal encrypted data from the company's mainframe, but antiquities dealer Diana Prince takes it from him; she returns it after failing to access the information.
While decrypting the drive, Bruce dreams of a post-apocalyptic world where he leads rebels against an evil Superman. He is awakened by an unidentified man, appearing through a portal, who tells him that Lois Lane "is the key" and urges him to find "the others" before vanishing. The decrypted drive reveals Luthor's files on several metahumans across the globe. One is Diana Prince, who appears in a photo from World War I.
Wayne tells Alfred Pennyworth that he plans to take the kryptonite and weaponize it, if necessary, to fight Superman.
A widely-publicized Congressional hearing, led by Finch, is held to question Superman's actions against Zod. A bomb smuggled in by Luthor detonates, killing everyone present except Superman. Superman blames himself for not detecting it in time and self-imposes exile. Meanwhile, Batman builds a powered exoskeleton, a kryptonite grenade launcher, and a kryptonite-tipped spear in preparation for battling Superman.
Meanwhile, Luthor enters the Kryptonian ship and accesses it's massive database of technology. Luthor lures Superman out of exile by kidnapping Lois and Martha Kent, Clark's adoptive mother. He pushes Lois off the LexCorp building. Superman saves her and confronts Luthor, who reveals he manipulated him and Batman by fueling their distrust. Luthor demands he kill Batman in exchange for Martha's life. Can the two heroes be able to overcome their distrust for each other in time, or will they be pushed to the brink of death?

The story is a major mixed bag as while there is some very solid action, some decent and intriguing drama, there are some neat ideas that are decently executed, the dark tone is well handled, and it is neat to finally see some of the most iconic DC superheroes on screen together, the plot is very bloated as it crams in too many plot threads, and some of them don't go anywhere as they only serve as bait for future films. It also has several plot holes, a few scenes drag on too long, some moments that are pretty dumb, some scenes that end up becoming wasted potential, and the rivalry between Batman and Superman is almost glanced over. Granted, the Ultimate Cut does expand on some of these plot threads and it does make them more comprehensible like the characters' choices and the rivalry between the two main heroes being more fleshed out, but it doesn't change the fact that the story is still pretty overstuffed.
The action scenes of the movie are a major highlight of the movie as these scenes are pretty intense, gripping, and suspenseful such as the Superman/Zod battle from Bruce's point of view, Batman rescuing the caged women and beating up the traffickers, Superman rescuing Lois in the Middle East, Batman battling Lex's thugs in the Batmobile which leads to his first proper encounter with Superman, the Knightmare scene where Batman and his men fight Parademons and Superman's men, the titular battle between Batman and Superman, Batman rescuing Martha from Luthor's thugs, Superman diverting a missile into space, and the climax where Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman battle Doomsday. And best of all, this movie tones down the shaky cam from "Man of Steel". There's still a bit in the movie, but it's not going overboard with it.
The movie does have some solid drama with plot threads like Bruce's reasons for being untrustworthy of Superman, Superman trying his absolute best as a hero while some people view him as a menace due to what happened in "Man of Steel", and the evolving relationship between Clark and Lois. But there are some things in here that are pretty weak and kinda unneeded like Superman putting himself into exile for a brief time, the "Martha" thing, and the ending.
The production design is pretty solid as there's a lot to admire about them such as the sets and setpieces being very well built and having a great amount of detail, the actual filming locations featured are very well utilized, the lighting is pretty solid and effective, the new Batmobile and Batwing have some great designs, and the costumes, makeup, and clothing are very well crafted. Especially the suits and outfits for Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Though like in "Man of Steel", it does look a bit too desaturated.
The special effects are also pretty well crafted as while they can look a little fake, they do look decently solid such as Superman's various powers being put to use, all the different Bat-Gadgets, the flying scenes with Superman and the Bat-Wing, Wonder Woman's abilities, the design of Doomsday and his powers even if he does look like an oversized orc, the Parademons in the Knightmare scene, the kryptonite and the weapons made from it, the enhanced backgrounds for some locations, the fire and explosions, the destruction, the rain, the smoke, and so on.
The characters are a mixed bag as while there are some that are pretty decent, there are others who are pretty weak and even some that feel underutilized. The decent characters in the movie would consist of the returning characters from "Man of Steel" like Clark/Superman, Lois, Martha, and Perry who are still alright characters and are given further development, and some of the new characters aren't that bad either like a more aged, brazen, and stubborn Bruce/Batman who does have a decent arc in this film, the ever-supportive yet also concerned Alfred, and the strong and highly-skilled Diana/Wonder Woman.
But there are some in here that are pretty weak like Lex who's a pretty confusing and way too goofy and over-the-top villain in a movie that's supposed to be more dark and serious, and his comedic moments aren't even really that funny, Finch and Jenet(from the Ultimate Edition) are easily the most forgettable characters in the film, characters that are just here to set up the larger universe and don't really contribute to anything such as the cameo appearances of Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg, especially given the fact that there was some Aquaman merch based on this film like having an action figure and a poster of him, and all we got of him was just showing up for a couple seconds in fromt of a LexCorp camera. If anything, Flash did more that Aquaman did in this, and there wasn't any merch on him from this movie. Sorry about that little rant, but i felt like that had to be mentioned. And of course there are some characters that feel like wasted potential for future stories like Jimmy Olsen, Mercy Graves, and especially Doomsday.
The acting in this film is pretty solid as the actors do manage to give some decent performances like Ben Affleck as Bruce/Batman, Henry Cavill as Clark/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois, Diane Lane as Martha, Laurence Fishburne as Perry, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Gal Gadot as Diana/Wonder Woman, Holly Hunter as Finch, Ezra Miller in their brief cameo as the Flash, and even if he does act too goofy, Jesse Eisenberg did give a decent performance as Lex.
The music by Hans Zimmer as Tom Holkenborg is pretty solid and does sound very nicely done and well composed, and it does fit within the movie's dark, action-packed, dramatic, and gritty tone.

Overall, I am very aware that this movie is very divisive with people either loving it, hating it, or being somewhere in between about it. I'm more in the camp of the latter as while i think the Ultimate Edition is better than the theatrical cut as that version is more comprehensible, and there are some solid things about it, both cuts are pretty overstuffed, and was clearly done so in an attempt to catch up with Marvel.
I don't think it's an awful movie, but it could have been a lot better too.
And because WB was so reactionary to the reception of this film, this would end up causing the domino effect of the DCEU's eventual downfall.

Cast:
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman
Brandon Spink as Young Bruce Wayne
Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Superman
Amy Adams as Lois Lane
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
Diane Lane as Martha Kent
Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth
Holly Hunter as June Finch
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman
Jena Malone as Jenet Klyburn (Ultimate Edition only)
Scoot McNairy as Wallace Keefe
Callan Mulvey as Anatoli Knyazev
Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves
Robin Atkin Downes as Doomsday
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Thomas Wayne
Lauren Cohan as Martha Wayne
Patrick Wilson as the President of the United States
Michael Cassidy as Jimmy Olsen
Harry Lennix as Secretary Calvin Swanwick
Christina Wren as Major Carrie Farris
Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent
Rebecca Buller as Jenny Jurwich
Chad Krowchuk as Glen Woodburn
Carla Gugino as Kelor
Hugh Maguire as Jack O'Dwyer
Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash
Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry / Aquaman
Ray Fisher as Victor Stone / Cyborg
Joe Morton as Silas Stone
Patrick Leahy as Senator Purrington
Debbie Stabenow as the Governor of New Jersey
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Soledad O'Brien, Anderson Cooper, Jon Stewart (Ultimate Edition only), Nancy Grace, Charlie Rose, Dana Bash, Andrew Sullivan, and Vikram Gandhi appear as themselves
Sammi Rotibi as General Amajagh
Wunmi Mosaku as Kahina Ziri
Coburn Goss as Father Leone (Ultimate Edition only)
Joseph Cranford as Pete Ross (Ultimate Edition only)
Emily Peterson as Lana Lang (Ultimate Edition only)

Crew:
Directed by Zack Snyder
Written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer
Produced by Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder
Music by Hans Zimmer and Tom Holkenborg

Misc.
Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger
Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Production companies: Warner Bros. Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, DC Entertainment, Atlas Entertainment, Cruel and Unusual Films
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date: March 25, 2016
Runtimes: 2 hours, 32 minutes (theatrical cut), 3 hours, 3 minutes (Ultimate cut)